misono opens up her 4th album with the song chosen to promote the album and I really was surprised because of the random pop nature of the tune. It still retains a lot of her rockin’ style, but sounds REALLY youthful and girly which misono doesn’t seem to have a lot of. The song also tends to throw me off with the tempo changes throughout which is different for her and I enjoyed that, but I mostly got annoyed from misono doing that ~uchi, uchi, uchi, uchi~ all over the place so it kind of just passes by me. Interesting song, but it can grow annoying the longer you listen to it for.

2. Ho・n・to・u・so

After her 3rd album, misono returned as a new moniker as *Me and then released the first single for this album. I still am not exactly sure what the point of this was but she was releasing a lot of good songs. Ho・n・to・u・so was a pretty awesome song and I was loving the heavier direction I thought she was going from this song. Definitely a strong song and great that it comes early on the album.

3. Junction Punctuation Mark

I wasn’t surprised that there’d be different songs depending on which version you got, though it is funny that the CD+DVD has three extra songs over the CD only which has two. Anyways, the first up is a song from her Tales of… best album. Junction Punctuation Mark was my favorite of the two because this song just sounded a lot like something from day after tomorrow which I appreciate. I loved misono here and this song is still one of the best the album has to offer.

4. with you -Me ver.-

Our next song came from “Ho・n・to・u・so/Su・ki・ra・i” and is *Me*’s take of the BACK-ON track that she was featured in. I will never get into misono’s voice under auto-tune from the intro, but the rest of the song is quite golden with great energy and powerful sounds. Even the vocalist of BACK-ON makes an appearance. Overall one of the stronger songs from the album, despite the horrid intro.

5. “NO you! NO life! NO..××?” -Me ver.-

The next track up is a song she collaborated with Cocoa Otoko. but it’s changed to where she was the only one singing. I’ve never heard the original, but it’s pretty solid of a song since misono doesn’t seem to stress her vocals as she’s been doing in more recent songs. The tune sounds unique too, having some synths to play in the background of the otherwise rockin’ arrangement. Though the chorus introduces us to more auto-tune which isn’t as annoying as it was in the previous track. Pretty kickass song here!

The first song that’s new and isn’t a promo song, this song sounds pretty energetic and would be great for live performances because of the chanting that’s possible within the energetic tune. misono has a lot of great vocal parts and she gives the song more punch which is nice to see! Definitely reminds me of songs that she released for “say” and “never+land” so this is a pretty kickass song too XD.

7. “…。” no Tsuzuki ~Eien Nante Nai… Itsuka Owari ga Aru Keredo~

Period no Tsuzuki comes next and since it was credited as a Me song on the single, I like how that was dropped entirely for the album (though I suppose it’s funnier that the songs credited as misono are not on the album). Being a near 6-minute rock ballad, I was still kind of unsure how I felt about because I do like the melody and some of the verses sound really pleasant, but when the chorus kicks in misono starts to wail and that’s always been a problem with her ballads ever since the “say” album. It’s OK and it’s not as bad as some of her previous ballads so I gues it has that going for it.

Oh boy, the crazy long ass titled B-side comes next and funny enough it was my favorite of the singles that she released…AND IT’S A FRIGGIN B-SIDE! Something about Second season Girl FRIEND just sounds really cool and very serious in comparison to a lot of songs she released that weren’t ballads. misono’s vocals aren’t all over the map and the music just sounds good for her and I wish she would release more songs like this. Definitely one of the album’s best songs.

So we get into the CD+DVD exclusives starting with the tune that original came from misono’s 2nd Tales of… best and I honestly wished she had left this behind. Like “Period no Tsuzuki”, Copernicus Tekitenkai is a slower song on the album, actually even more of a ballad than the aforementioned track. Listening to it now, misono’s vocals seem higher pitched and it kind of doesn’t fit the arrangement very well, but the song opens up and it starts to make a little more sense. I guess it’s not so bad as I remembered it the first time, but there’s something about it that feels like it’s missing something. Too bad.

10. Kingyo Sukui ~Kimi wa Dono Princess?~

The other exclusive is oddly enough a new song! Kingyo Sukui is another ballad unfortunately and this one is a lot like the previous tune with a piano-heavy arrangement. Though I have to say that misono’s whiny vocals are present so it bothers me the most about this track sadly. To be fair, it feels like this song would’ve been MUCH better had it been a rock track because the chords sound powerful enough to handle it like that, but as it stands, this song is meh.

11. Tanabata☆Jita ButterFly♪ feat. misono

Next up is the actual B-side from “Ho・n・to・u・so/Su・ki・ra・i” and this one left a bad taste in my mouth when I first reviewed the song. It’s still such a bizarre song because it’s rather shrill from misono and has a overly cutesy punk-rock sound which might sound like it was a nod to her “never+land” album, but this song just doesn’t work for me because she sounds so off. Yeah, I’m not a fan of this one though the bleep in the near end of the song was funny.

12. Koitsuri Girl Ai Girl ~Fishing Boy~

Which carries into the next song which was an A-side from the third single she released for the album. Koitsuri Girl Ai Girl isn’t as squeaky as the previous track, but it still has that cutesy punk sound which I still am not getting behind as much. I do slightly enjoy it more than I did back then, but I don’t think this genki style suits her very much anymore (as if it did in the first place).

Then we get a nice stretch of new songs starting with this slightly long title XD. Leaving the genki stuff behind slightly, there’s something about this song that reminds me of stuff like songs from SCANDAL from it’s upbeat punk-rock nature to the riffs and chords heard throughout but I kind of dig it with misono singing along. Simple song and it turned out nicely!

14. Negative×Hitori∞Ashi

Then comes Negative Hitori Ashi and sounds a little more louder and rockin’ than our previous track by having more percussion being present. While I’m not sure where to put it on misono’s styles, it continues this cute, but down-to-earth style and it really does remind me of her first album and how fun those songs were to listen to. It’s a cool track, but could’ve used a little more energy.

15. Shoutaijou♪BIG-ri☆Yancha Hamechakucha★Omo-cha~ Bako

Now this is what I’m talking about with energy, this song is instantly coming off as a REALLY fun song and has some pretty good misono vocals here and it just sounds like a fun anison/summer song that ust does it right! It’s seriously a kooky song, but it’s very catchy and brought back misono as a fun singer even if her vocals aren’t all that great to listen to.

16. Futarijime Watashijime “Hanbun Zukko”

Man these songs have such an upbeat atmosphere (funny that most of the new songs have a happier vibe). Though the thing that kind of killed the song was misono’s vocals as she’s trying to hit some pretty high notes and they aren’t very tasteful to listen to. Though when she isn’t doing that, the rest of the song sounds pretty awesome and I love the guitarwork more than most of the songs here.

17. Su・ki・ra・i

Finally, ending the album is the secondary A-side of the first single released for the album and I’m also not exactly the biggest fan of the song. Su・ki・ra・i has a cool wintry feeling, but misono’s voice is what hinders the song from being fully enjoyable. I supose it made a nice ending, but still not one of my favorites.

Without all the junk, I would say that misono’s 4th studio album, Uchi is actually kind of good. Granted it still has issues that every previous misono album has had and it’s her vocals…she can really be too waily in songs and her ballads are mostly shit, but the majority was actually quite nice. Now for the bs, if you didn’t know what it says on the cover, it basically says if she doesn’t sell 10k of this album she won’t be able to release anymore music which is totally farfetched and stupid marketing just to get sales. I mean it’s a good album, but it definitely didn’t need that tagline bullshit basically.

How’s it going everyone, it’s October and the 3DS release is out and I’ve been playing it to death, hopefully the review of it will be up sometime soon and you guys can read my thoughts and overall opinion on it! So this post is all about October plus the direct that we had which brought out over 50 facts Some are old news, but most were basically new information so let’s talk about the most important ones!

Characters

So the official site has updated weekly with the remaining unlockable characters: Ness, Ganondorf, Dr. Mario, Falco, R.O.B., Dark Pit, Wario, and Mr. Game and Watch (and a Miiverse update about Alph)., but there was a little more! ON the Wii U version, Ness, Ganondorf, Bowser Jr., and Jigglypuff are a part of the starting roster unlike their unlockable status on the 3DS version.

Yup, the direct sort of ended with a trailer for Bowser Jr. (and the Koopalings) since the direct explained the fact we were allowed to have 8-player smash! Badass trailer and having played the 3DS version, he’s a tricky character but a great inclusion I must say.

HOWEVER, that was easily overshadowed with what came after. Confirmation of DLC for both games, starting with Mewtwo a returning veteran from Melee which is pretty damn amazing. I will say that I’m expecting some pretty cool changes for him and will love to end up getting him. If you get both games, it’ll be free, so I assume you can pay to get hi if you don’t get one or the other.

Stages (Wii U)

Congo Jungle (from 64)

Temple (from Melee)

Yoshi’s Island (from Melee)

Onett (from Melee)

Delfino Plaza (from Brawl)

Mario Circuit (from Brawl)

Luigi’s Mansion (from Brawl)

Bridge of Eldin (from Brawl)

Norfair (from Brawl)

Port Town Aero Dive (from Brawl)

Halberd (from Brawl)

Lylat Cruise (from Brawl)

Castle Siege (from Brawl)

Skyworld (from Brawl)

Smashville (from Brawl)

75m (from Brawl)

Big Battlefield – Basically, Big Battlefield is just that, a much bigger Battlefield to support 8-player matches. Though it sems like it gets its own music away from the original Battlefield, so I am curious to what songs will be chosen for the two!

Mario Circuit – Interesting to see that we get a new Mario Kart stage based off the most recent entry to the series! I wonder how it’ll work since the course itself has some anti-gravity tricks up it’s sleeve, maybe we”ll travel down the track and it’ll do the same? It’ll be cool!

Jungle Hijinxs – For the first time in Smash Bros., a stage will actually have two simultaneous areas in the back and foregrounds. I really loved that they used that for Donkey Kong because the barrels are a great way to go between the areas and makes things more crazy than normal, thought we’d seen it all, but Sakurai once again shocks us!

Pyrosphere – WE FINALLY GET RIDLEY NEWS. He is a stage hazard and acts like the Flying Men in Magicant on the 3DS version of the game. As in he can fight on your side and get destroyed as well, he can also turn into Meta Ridley is tempted enough to do so. Makes an interesting stage more chaotic and although I’m not too much of a fan of bosses within the stages themselves, at least Ridley is somewhere in the game.

The Great Cave Offensive – So wow, this stage is HUGE and I thought Palutena’s Temple was huge, this is really compact and yet so amazing to see. It seems the stage brought it a certain element from the “Run / Jump” games after doing a round of Smash Run (basically the Danger Zones) and if you’re over 100% in damage, it’s an instant KO no matter what. Beyond that, the stages looks amazing and gives a lot of nostalgic trips from Kirby Super Star.

Orbital Gate Assault – I mean, yay a new Star Fox stage but we still begin on the Great Fox, but after a while we’ll have to ride on a missile as it goes through the gates and everything. Interesting stage, but I wanna know more about it as it is a traveling stage. Also conversations between the Star Fox members happen here.

Palutena’s Temple – Replacing the Codec’s you had as Snake, a similar situation happens on Palutena’s Temple if you’re playing as Pit (not sure if it’ll be any different playing as Dark Pit or even Palutena).

Kalos Pokemon League – We know that Pokemon appear on the stage depending on what Elite Four room you’re in.

Gamer – A stage from Game and Wario gets represented and it gets exciting as you’re trying to hide away from the mom, because if you’re caught, you get damage!

Gaur Plain – Similar to Pyrosphere, Metal Face is the boss of the stage and attacks and even destroys the stage. He can be defeated too so keep on your toes!

Wrecking Crew – I’m not sure how this stage will work, but there’s something that reminds me of Tomodachi Life (the stage in Smash 3DS) but it loses levels…and it isn’t one of those “original graphics” so it’s an interesting stage and I hope to learn more!

Wuhu Island – I thought Wuhu Island was just a part of the Pilotwings stage, but it seems it gets its own stage. Not sure what entails in this stage, but I find it interesting since I’m sure it’s a parallel to Tomodachi Life

Miiverse – Last but not least, we get a Miiverse stage and it seems like it might be a DLC stage or a late addition because it needs to kind of get things right with the Miiverse which posts pop up in the background as visual goodness. Though the stage is kind of basic, having a Battlefield arrangement…I’m not sure how I feel quite yet, but hey more stages

Stage Builder – Happy to see this return and fleshed out a bit more too! You can even draw it which really opens the possibilities of creations. I can’t wait to dive into this and hopefully it comes with better default stages unlike the three we got in Brawl (Hole, Bath, and Maze).

a stage based off of Yoshi’s Woolly World – There’s nothing that’s known about it besides the fact it’s there…I’m VERY curious to know what this one is about.

Other Features!

So we had a LOT of other things announced and while many are cool some just seem to stand out more like 8-player Smash!

8-player Smash – Yeah, 8 people can play each other and while it is limited to some stages, it’s just really cool to see the series open up to so many people (though I’m not sure how well it’ll be given you need a lot of friends to even to this (though you couldjust set it to 7 CPUs XD.

Classic Mode – Which got revamped it seems and it judges on how well you do vs. just walking down a line (plus I think it is possible to fight 7 opponents here!

All Star Mode – Reversed in comparison to 3DS where you begin fighting the youngest and newest characters to the oldest.

Events – Instead of fighting down a linear-ish path, you have a grid-like situation where you beat one and it opens three more…and so-on and so-forth.

Tourney – Literally what it was in Brawl but more viable

Masterpieces – Woo more demos!

My Music – Woo more music!

Smash Tour – So with Smash Run being a 3DS exclusive, everyone was curious to know about the Wii U one and it’s a doozy. It’s like a mix of Smash Bros., Mario Party, and Fortune Street where you move around this board gathering power-ups and duking it out. It definitely isn’t a fan-servicey as Smash Run, but this does kind of got me perking my ears up as it sounds pretty neat!

Special Orders – Now I’m still trying to figure this one out, but it’s like event mode, but done by the two “Hands” (y’know, Master and Crazy Hand) and something about coins and tickets and random stuff…it seems like a cool idea though.

Everything else, is mostly stuff we got from the 3DS version but a lot of it added something new like co-op or etc.

That’s about all I need to write, so I will be working on my 3DS Smash review! (and maybe the Theatrhythm sequel too) so keep checking back ^^

So the single begins with the “quote-on-quote” leading song and it makes sure it stands that way as it’s a song that’s over 10 whole minutes! For the first half it’s primarily a quiet piano ballad with the ladies getting solo lines and just being way simple. Though the 2nd half does open up further with unison parts and a bit more dramatic of an atmosphere. I remember hearing a lot of Ayacho, Nyon, and Takechan throughout but the other members get significant lines too. This was just way too long of a track and whie I’m sure it works more in the context of the stageplay, by itself it just comes off WAY TOO BORING for me.

2. ONE DAY

At least ONE DAY was a lot more easier to stomach. Meaning it’s at regular length and not the whole 10 minute bomb. Also the lines seem to even out once again which is really nice and really good for Rinapuu and Kanana to stand out. Now being as a stageplay, the normal treatment of their vocals are not present, instead we’re givin this feeling of them performing the song live which also means the melodic feels of their vocals together lash a bit more harshly which is one of the reasons I wasn’t too big of this song, but by themselves the girls sound great!

3. Cur~tain Ko~runrun

Funny that this single would end with a cutesy song. Granted, we haven’t heard S/mileage do a fun song for quite a while and I’m liking this because it’s bringing me some nostalgic vibes of the old 4-nin S/mileage. It’s bouncy, lively and gosh darn sugary! Surprised this wasn’t just simply released as an A-side if anything!

DVD+CD

1. SMILE OVERTURE

Funny enough, the rerelease opens with the lone new song (which I’m not sure I count as a new song as it’s just a 1:30 intro). It’s nice that it does have lyrics from the group and like they did with “Cur~tain Ko~runrun” had a section to introduce the 6 S/mileage members. Very cutesy, but gets the point across.

2. Yumemiru 15sai

So on the rerelease, the big thing is that all 6 members get a solo song of an already established S/mileage song which is cool and all, but for at least half of them, they also got a different arrangement. Meimi is up first and she gets to tackle the group’s major label debut. I like the music-box opening of the song a lot and the change in arrangement is well, definitely upbeat and has natural instrumentation of the original. Meimi sure knows how to keep up with the song’s frantic BPM and somehow keep it leveled. Interesting take on the song that’s for sure!

3. Asu wa Date na no ni, Ima Sugu Koe ga Kikitai

So Rina gets the 2nd indies single they released and I was surprised the song went through one change and that was lowering the pitch to something Rina could handle (at least that’s what I thought was the case). I’m not sure why, but for some reason I do think Rina handled the song just fine, but the lack of other vocals makes this somewhat lonely sounding (plus the pitch shifting makes the song more sad?). It’s alright, but nothing spectacular.

4. Jitensha Chiririn

Then we get into Takechan’s solo track and fortunately there was no pitch-shifting to be had here. Being a B-side from “Uchouten LOVE”, I had basically forgot about this song, but I like that Akari brought it back and this suits better as a solo track as it’s mid-tempo and keeps the cute vibe going. Overall, good choice!

5. ONE DAY (Shinroku ver.)

I was surprised that I didn’t realize the rerelease also included two edited takes on songs from the single release. The biggest difference to me is that the original’s piano melody was replaced by this kind of CASIO-keyboard arrangement. I’m not sure where I stand with the change, but it also added some acoustic guitar, but otherwise it’s the same and even then the keyboard gets covered up mostly whereas the original kept up with the piano. I do like that it tried to give a more lullaby-esque sound, but the original was better.

6. Yattaruchan

Figures that Kanana would choose this song because it is heavily a Kana song already. Like Rinapuu’s solo, the tune has dropped pitch to fit more Kana’s vocals alone. Ironically, giving Kana a chance to sing a MUCH lower tone of this track is surprising but really tasteful and Kana sounds great and all, but I’m so used to the original as it is so it’s weird to my brain. It’s something you’ve got to get used to, but it’s definitely interesting and I’m sure Kanana fans are excited by this one!

7. Watashi no Kokoro

So Nyon chose a more recent song as well (a track from their sophomore album). Being the lone ballad selection, Watashi no Kokoro is pretty basic for me, but having Kanon tackling this song by herself is nice and her more squeaky vocals somewhat suit the arrangement, even though she does have her moments where I squint. Not my favorite of the six, but I think she chose a good song for herself.

8. aMa no Jaku

Finally, we have Ayacho’s solo song and I am not surprised that it’s the group’s debut single! Like Meimi’s solo, this one was changed in arrangement. It’s a bit slower, but it’s more natural sounding featuring some piano and some strings as well. I’m not sure how Ayaka did it, but her voice is just as shrilly as it was when she debuted (which might be on purpose, who knows). She doesn’t do a half bad job though, but I think for nostalgic reasons, the original arrangement is better.

9. Joujou Kumikyoku “Smile Fantasy” (Shinroku ver.)

Why oh why would you edit an already long ass song? I mean fortunately the time hasn’t changed, but damn I had to listen to this all over again! After listening to both (which remind you is like 20 minutes spent), I really couldn’t figure out what the big difference between the two were (unlike how obvious it was with “ONE DAY”). I’m sure there’s something though and it could a small change in comparison. Still doesn’t leave me too engaged however.

10. Cur~tain Ko~runrun

I’ve already talked about it above, so read that!

So this was a surprise release and well not even a part of their main discography! SMILE FANTASY! is a stageplay release in which not many H!P acts get to release nowadays. The single for the most part was OK if not weaker than their main singles. Joujou Kumikyoku would’ve been good had it not been 10 minutes long >.>, ONE DAY was simple but the clashing of their voices kind of prevented me from enjoying it too much while Cur~tain Ko~runrun was the best thing being classic S/mileage and all that lol. Sad to say this might be the last 6-nin single as the group just added three more new members. Overall not their best but not terrible.

The rerelease had a little more depth to it and had some nice extras like the solos of S/mileage songs. Most were OK, some were a bit unusual too. The edited versions of the songs were completely unecessary though, so it’s a strange deal all around. Overall, this was a weaker release.

So the single begins with the leading A-side and Tsunku still hasn’t exactly strayed away from his EDM obsession which might bother some and after “Password is 0”, I felt like probably it was time for a change but alas wasn’t the situation. Funny enough, it kind of has the similar qualms I had with the aforementioned track by being very repetitive (by repeating the title, which sounds more like ~cheeky boo~ than anything else). Though the intro is pretty badass of one if I must say so, but the rest of the song kind of just goes to the back because a lot of it is saying the title. I hope after this, there’ll be a new lease of sound and we can take a break from the utmost amount of electronics. It’s OK, but I’m starting to feel slightly bored.

2. Shabadabadoo~

The rest of the A-sides are spl, but for special reasons. Shabadabadoo~ is actually Sayumi’s solo song (the third one she’s got after “It’s You” and “Lalala no Pipipi”) and this song really accentuates Sayumi in and out. From the bubbly loungey sound to the lyrics that really signifies Sayumi’s time with Morning Musume. It’s pretty interesting of a song and hearing Sayu ad-libbing is adorable! There’s even small quips from Haruna and Mizuki here which is nice as they’re the sub-leaders and all. The song overall is a great little love letter about Sayu and while she still can’t carry a tune like many other members before and after her, she’s definitely left a mark, a pretty memorable one!

3. Mikaeri Bijin

As for the 3rd A-side, I was surprised to hear that Tsunku had no input and was left for an enka artist to handle. This song only has the rest of the groups sans Sayu singing here and truth be told, it’s a unison song for the most part. It’s basically a song to say goodbye to Sayu and it really hits home for a lot of people since many did come in during the Platinum era and were there to see the Rokkies debut. As for the song, I’m really enjoying that the ladies are utilizing a lower key in comparison to their normal works so the voices are hitting lower notes which is impressive. Very different song, but I liked this song and made for a nice ending to a great leader.

As the 3rd and final single before their 14th album releases, their last single as “’14”, TIKI BUN/Shabadabadoo~/Mikaeri Bijin is a pretty OK single, it doesn’t have the power and memorability that the previous two singles had (and even more beforehand) but this single kind of feels like a point of whether the group should switch genres. TIKI BUN is ok, but it also has its issues like the dependence on repetition, it’s just not working for me anymore. Shabadabadoo~ is was more of that cute Sayu we all love and I’ll definitely miss her appearances in songs (since her auto-tuned voice is one of the most-well known sounds). Mikaeri Bijin was also a nice send-off from the rest of the group and is really the best the single has as it’s so different from what we’ve gotten from Momusu for a long time. With 4 new girls added and Sayu graduating, I wonder how they’ll sound when they debut in 2015…Now we wait for the upcoming album!

Knowing that he’s in Super Junior when they release stuff in China, Henry was someone I wasn’t expecting to debut in Japan so I was happy to see that Fantastic was what he’d debut with because I LOVE this song when he released this in Korea because it was incredibly catchy and Henry sung well alongside using his violin skills and dance skills in tandem. The song is pretty textbook K-pop, but I think it sounded great and while the song did go between Japanese and English, Henry did a good job I’d say.

2. TRAP

As for the B-side (which is also another language switched song) TRAP is from his first mini-album of the same he released last year. Unlike “Fantastic”, TRAP has a little more of an R&B sound. I like the beat and Henry’s chanting of ~I’m trapped~ kind of gets stuck in your head. Not as flashy or polished like the A-side, but I can totally get behind this.

So Henry is debuting in Japan finally, I wonder if this might be a push to get him to join SuJu maybe? Maybe not, but Fantastic is a great debut since both songs are pretty strong in their own rights, yeah they both might be just rehashed and resung in a different language (which like I said before, I don’t like) but I liked how both o these turned out so I’m fine with it for now. Overall good single, just hope there’s more in the future!

Right from the start with Ryo’s wild keyboard melody and the switch to using strings in the arrangement, I knew I was in for ride with the band. ego-izm sounds just like school food punishment down to the core and I’m kind of liking the energy of the band together and Yumi sounds just like you would expect her to sound. Definitely a wonderful song and just a has a lot of great moments through it.

2. end of refrain

The first B-side shows the more experimental side which I was elated to see not lost on la la larks’ debut. The deep synths mixed with those blips of acoustic guitars are just soothing and really leaves an interesting feel in my mind. Yumi sounds lively and bright in the song and mixing in the arrangement wonders, I just fell in love with the song! Some of it reminds me of “Kakenukeru”, but this is pretty impressive!

3. earworm

Interesting that it’s the only song that doesn’t have an instrumental on the single. earworm is even more lowkey than “end of refrain” with its etheral feel and the light vocals from Yumi. I’m not sure what that light clanking is supposed to be, but after a while it’s replaced by otherworldly sounds that gives this uncertainty kind of feel about it, but it’s definitely an experimental pull. Very interesting indeed.

Did school food punishment really disband though? XD. What happened was that they did actually disband because Yumi wanted something else, which might not transate well going into la la larks as it’s her, Ryo Eguchi (the main producer that’s done a lot of sfp’s stuff) and three new members (basically dropping the remaining two members from sfp altogether). As their first single, ego-izm really feels like we never really lost sfp and the core sound remained intact (which is a pleasant thing to know). All three songs are really nice songs to listen to and hope there’s more in the future from them *RECOMMENDED*

I really love the Celtic intro of Kindan no Resistance and then it blows up to this interesting mix of that and rock! Something about the mix of that and pan flute just seems so epic! Add on Nana’s already stellar vocals and this song just wrapped up in this pretty awesome song that breaks away from her synth-anison songs (like her last single “Vitalization”). It’s been a long while since I’ve loved something that wasn’t so synth-dependent and I’m happy it’s this song! Great A-side!

2. BLUE

Next up is the ballad, BLUE. Now after being spoiled by “Ai no Hoshi”, BLUE just kind of comes in to bring a ballad onto the single so I was curious if she was going to sound good here. For the most part, Nana sounds great and surprises me how she can so good with not much of an arrangement (which consists of light orchestration, but mostly piano for the first half). After that, the song just builds with more instruments and a much stronger foundation. It’s a pretty good ballad, still not as perfect as the aforementioned, but definitely another winner!

3. Dream Rider

If I had learned anything, usually the 2nd B-side turns out to be the -fun- song of the single and it definitely suits Dream Rider as it’s poppy and has a lot of 90s nostalgia throughout. At some points it made me wonder if I was listening to Koda Kumi or GIRL NEXT DOOR given the atmosphere and arrangement. It’s not as memorable like the previous two tracks, but I suppose it’s one of her better cute songs out there.

After “SUPERNAL LIBERTY”, I was kind of expecting her to take a break and come back next year, but nope she released this single and really this was some good stuff. Breaking away from the synths for a bit, Kindan no Resistance is a pretty powerful song from her A-sides and I just loved every minute of it! BLUE also did well as the single’s ballad and proves that she has the chops for it down-pat. Dream Rider while my least favorite on the single, managed to sound nostalgic and fun, but doesn’t leave an impression on me as I wished it did.